Grieving mother draws on memory of son's strength

6:29 PM,
Jan. 25, 2014

Crystal Vrooman

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Crystal Vrooman still hears the soft steps of her 9-year-old son's feet pattering down her staircase.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees him peek around the bannister, giving her a toothy grin and smiling with his wide, brown eyes.

But in a blink, he's gone and she's filled with roiling rage and sorrow, grieving the loss of her boy, Tyler Doohan, who's been hailed as a hero for sacrificing his life in an unsuccessful effort to rescue his disabled grandfather from a house fire on Monday. ...